Stories from around the Network
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024
In a landmark development for the Eastern and Southern African region, parliamentarians from diverse backgrounds and countries have united under the banner of the Eastern and Southern Africa Parliamentary Caucus on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (ESAParc).
In the nearly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, the abortion landscape has become fragmented and increasingly polarized. In more than half of the 50 U.S. states, abortion is now completely banned, heavily restricted or under legal threat.
Entashata strives to bridge gaps in education, women’s rights, and reproductive health in his community in Loita. The organization’s commitment to education resulted in an annual campaign to enroll boys and girls in schools, boasting over 50 girls supported completing their secondary education.
In Nigeria, getting a safe abortion is already an uphill battle. But for women with disabilities, it can be nearly impossible. With support from the Ipas Collaborative Fund, the locally based SAIF Advocacy Foundation is paving the way to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, can access the quality abortion care they have a right to.
In response to Ipas Bolivia’s testimony at an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) hearing, Bolivian government officials have committed to take action to address the child marriage crisis for girls in Bolivia.
The year 2023 will go down in history as difficult for humanity. Yet Ipas teams around the world persevered, landing important victories for abortion access and expanding reproductive justice in partnership with activists, health workers, educators, community leaders and more.
In the wake of a destructive 6.4 magnitude earthquake in western Nepal in November, pregnant women and new mothers are struggling for survival without proper shelter and health care. Knowing that essential reproductive health care is often impossible to access in crisis settings, Ipas Nepal is rolling out a multifaceted response.
December 17 marked five decades of the Helms Amendment, which restricts the use of U.S. foreign assistance for abortion “as a method of family planning.” But in practice, the policy has been implemented as a complete ban on abortion, even in countries where it’s legal.
Ipas is proud to continue supporting community-based efforts to advance reproductive justice with the unveiling of 16 new recipients of the Ipas Collaborative Fund for 2024.
No matter the cause, humanitarian crises often mean an increase in sexual and reproductive health needs—yet access to safe abortion remains one of the most forgotten of those needs. Ipas Democratic Republic of Congo is making sure that access to abortion is included in humanitarian aid response to the devastating armed conflict in North Kivu.
A ‘legend and reference point’ for reproductive rights in Africa, Brookman-Amissah’s 30 years of trailblazing work improved abortion access across the continent
The United States is violating human rights by denying legal access to abortion—and should take immediate action to end the criminalization of abortion at the federal, state and local levels. This is the newly released conclusion of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in response to testimony from Ipas and partners in October.
Professor Mahmoud Fathalla, former FIGO president, boldly spoke the truth
Climate change is hitting Malawi hard. In recent years, torrential rains, destructive winds and mudslides brought on by a series of cyclones have had a devastating impact on the country’s people and its agriculture-based economy.